The Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is a $26 million competition designed to support projects that aim to help grow a region's industry.

The Obama Administration has announced a $26 million multi-agency Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge to foster innovation-fueled job creation through public-private partnerships. The challenge will support projects that aim to help grow a region's industry clusters by strengthening connections to regional economic development opportunities and advanced manufacturing assets; enhance a region's capacity to create high-quality sustainable jobs; develop a skilled and diverse advanced manufacturing workforce; increase exports; encourage the development of small businesses; and accelerate technological innovation.

This is the third round of the Jobs Accelerator competition, which is being funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy; the U.S. Dept. of Commerce's Economic Development Administration and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); the U.S. Dept. of Labor's Employment and Training Administration; the U.S. Small Business Administration; and the National Science Foundation. In this round, approximately 12 projects are expected to be chosen through a competitive inter-agency grant process. These coordinated investments will help catalyze and leverage private capital, build an entrepreneurial ecosystem, and promote cluster-based development in regions across the U.S. The deadline for applications is July 9, 2012.